Method of knitting selvedge edges on full fashioned knitting machines



Nov. 28. 1 939. E. s. SACHSENMAIER 2,181,820 METHOD OF KNITTING SELVEDGE EDGES ON FULL FASHIONED KI ITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 2a, 1936 3 Sheets- Sheet 1 \NVENTOR BY HIS ATTORNEYS MMK -M ERVIN S. SACHSENMAIER Now. 28. 1939. a s. SACHSENMAliER METHOD OF KNITTING SELVEDGE EDGES ON FULL FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 23, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 UHW Unwn MH n MMH NOV- 28 9. E. s. SACHSENMAIER 2,181,320

METHOD OF KNITTING SELVEDGE EDGES ON FULL FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 23, 1936 3Sheets-Sheet s Immmhmm4 I I i U r 5 lE Z INVENTOR ERV'IN S. SACHSENMAIER BY HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES METHOD OF KNITTING SELVEDGE EDGES N FULL FASHIQNED KNITTING MA- CHINES lErvin S. Saehsenmaier, Charlotte, N. 0., assignor to Larkwood Silk Hosiery Mills, Inc., Charlotte, N. (3., a corporation of Delaware- Application January 23, 1936, Serial No. 60,494

Claims.

This invention relates to knitting on full fashioned machines and more particularly to knitting a selvedge edge on the top or welt of full fashioned hosiery and it is an object of this invention to provide an improved method of knitting such selvedge edges on full fashioned knitting machines.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a view-in elevation showing the relative positions of the needles and associated parts of a full fashioned knitting machine during the knitting of the first-course with the loops of the first course held about the stems of the needles by the welt hooks;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 and shows the needles and picot points being lowered for the transfer of the loops from alternate needles to the picot points;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 and shows the picot points raised for the discharge of the loops therefrom;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the structure of Fig. 1, the sinkers and knocking-over bits being omitted, and shows in plan view the loops held about the needles by the welt hooks as in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 and shows the transfer of the loops to the picot points as inFig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 and shows the loops upon being released by the picot points as in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 6 and shows the shape of the loops while held by the welt hooks afterrelease by the picot points as in Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a partial plan view showing the engagement of the loops of the first and second courses while the second course is retained by the needles;

Fig. 9 is a partial plan view showing the loops of a larger number of courses than in Fig. 8 detached from the needles and the welt hooks, the view being inverted with respect to Fig. 8 to show the completed selvedge at the upper edge of the fabric;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the relations of the parts during the feeding of a rubber or other separate thread to form the loops of the first course;

Fig. 11 is a similar view of the parts with the loops held by'the picot points and the welt hooks;

Fig. 12 is a plan View of the parts as shown in Fig. 10, the sinkers and knocking-over bits being omitted;

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12 and showing the loops formed about the picot points as in Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 13 and showing the needles raised and the picot points withdrawn;

Fig. 15 is a view in front elevation showing the relative positions of the parts at the time the thread. is laid upon the sinkers for the second course;

Fig. 16 is a view in elevation showing the relations of the loops of the'first and second courses as the drawing of the loops of the second course is completed, the sinkers and knocking-over bits being-omitted;

Fig. 17 is a plan view showing the relations of the loops of the first and second courses while the loops of the second course are still held by the needles;

Fig. 18 is a plan view showing the relations of the loops while a third or subsequent course is held by the needles; and

Fig. 19 is a plan view showing the first four courses of the fabric, detached from the needles and the welt hooks and inverted as compared to Fig. 18.

In forming a selvedge in accordance with the method of this invention as shown in Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive, the thread T is laid -upon the sinkers I, the sinkers advanced and the loops drawn by the needles 2 as the needles are lowered. The welt hooks 4, at this time, are in the inner position as shown in dotted lines at 4' so that the loops are engaged by the welt hooks,

the needles thereupon being raised and the loops, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, maintained by the welt'hooks 4 which hold the thread drawn about the stems of the needles 2. The needles 2 are then moved inward to engage alternate needles with the picot points 6 and the picot points and needles are then lowered to engage onthe picot points the loops onthe needles engaged by the picot points. As the needles 2 and the picot points 6 are lowered, from the position shown in Figure 2, thruthe loop of the thread T a position will be reached where the loop will be above the needles but will still be retained on the picot points. The needles then drop away from the picot points leaving the loops on the picot points 6 only. The needles 2 and the picot points 6 are then raised, the loops ,being carried upward to a position in which the tips of the picot points are'just above the knocking-over bits. This is the position in which the picot bar usually shogs to transfer the loops to other needles. However, in this method the picot points are raised com- .pletely out of the operating position and the loops are dropped from the picot points. The

needles are then lowered and any loops which might have, by chance, become engaged on the tips of the needles are dropped ofi the needles by the knocking-over bits. At the time the loops are released from the picot points they will be somewhat as shown in Figure 6 alternate needles retaining loops which extend from these needles to the welt hooks. Owingto the tension applied by the welt hooks the'loops released by the picot points straighten out from the condition shown in Figure 6 to the condition shown in Figure 7 in which the loops extend from pairs of the welt hooks to alternate needles.

With the loops of the first course arranged as shown in Figure '7 the knitting operation is continued by the laying of the thread on the sinkers for the second course, the sinkers moved forward and the loops drawn by all of the needles. The loops of the first course then retained by the alternate needles are cast ofi causing, as shown in Figure 8, the loops of the first course which are still held by the welt hooks to be ,engaged in the sinker wales of the loops of the second course. The knitting of succeeding courses is then continued in the usual manner laying the thread on the sinkers I and drawing the loops by all needles. This produces a fabric as shown in Figure 9 in which the loops of the first course are engaged in the sinker wales of the second course and serve as an anti-ravelling course preventing the ravelling of the fabric;

In Figures 10 to 19 inclusive there'is shown a modified method of forming a selvedge edge in which the machine is operated without a thread to bring the needles 2 above the knocking-over bits 8, the picot point to a position which overlaps the beard of the needles but is not in engagement therewith and to withdraw the sinker I. At this time the welt hooks 4 are moved inwardly to receive a thread fed from thread carrier I0 which lays a thread R of rubber or other suitable material on the welt hooks 4 in back of the picot points 6 and in front of the sinkers l. The needles 2 are then operated inwardly to engage alternate needles with the picot points, 6 and the needles and picot points are moved downwardly until the needles are below the upper surfaces of the knocking-over bits 8. The sinkers l and welt hooks 4 are then moved outwardly causing the welt hooks to form loops of the thread It about the picot points 6. The relations of the parts upon the laying of the yarn or thread It on the welt hooks 4 are shown in Figure 12, the sinkers and knocking-over bits being omitted and their relations after operation of the parts to the positions shown in Figure 11 are as shown in Figure 13, where a welt. hook 4 is in engagement with the thread R at each side of a picot point 6, there being two welt hooks 4 in engagement with the thread between adjacent picot points and the needles which engage with the picot points are held in an outer position with respect to the position assumed by the needles which do not engage the picot points.

needles and held by the welt hooks, the sinkers are withdrawn, the needles are raised and a nonelastic thread T is fed to the sinkers I for forming theloops of the second course. The sinkers are then moved outward and needles are drawn 'down to draw the loops but before the thread is drawn from the sinkers the welt hooks 4 may be moved inwardly to receive the thread as it leaves the sinkers. As the needles are drawn down the welt hooks are drawn outwardly and the loops of the first courseare cast off the alternate needles while the loops of the second course are retained on all needles. This gives a condition as in Figure 1'7 in which the threadof the first course, if a rubber thread, will straighten out and which thread extends through the sinker wales of the second course as they are engaged by the welt hooks. If the welt hooks are not moved inwardly as just described the welt hooks will hold the loops of the first course only as in Fig. 8 but causing the welt hooks to hold the nonelastic loops of the second course lessens the danger of breaking a rubber thread when used for a first course under the tension applied thereto by the welt hooks. The needles are then raised and the thread fed to the sinkers and engaged by all the needles to draw loops thereof for the third course in the usual manner. The operation of the needles casting off the loops of the second course causes the loops to be as shown in Figure 18, with the thread R of the first course extending from the loops of the second course to form an antiravelling course and the loops of the second and third courses being interlooped in the usual manner. When the fabric is detached from the welt hooks the thread R of the first course, if of rubber, remains straight as shown in Figure 19.

What is claimed is:

1. Steps in the method of knitting a selvedge on a full fashioned knitting machine comprising forming a first course of loops held by the needles substantially I and all the hooks of the usual welt hook bar,

transferring the loops'from alternate needles to picot points, releasing the loops from the picot points while retaining the loops on the intermediate needles and welt hooks, and forming a second course of loops on all needles and casting off the remaining loops of the first course.

2. Steps in the method of knitting a selvedge on a full fashioned knitting machine comprising forming loops of a first course of'an elastic thread held by the needles and all the hooks of the usual welt hook bar, transferring the loops from alternate needles to picot points, releasing the loops on the intermediate needles and welt hooks, forming a second course of loops of non-elastic thread on all needles and casting oil? the remaining loops of the first course. I

3. Steps in a method of knitting a selvedge on a full fashioned knitting machine comprising knitting the first course in the usual manner to place the loops thereof mall the hooks of the usual welt hook bar and about the needle stems, transferring the loops from alternate needles to picot points, releasing the loops from the picot points and knitting succeeding courses of loops on all needles in the usual manner.

' loops from the picot points while retaining the 4. Steps in a method of knitting a selvedge on from alternate needles to picot points, releasing the loops from the picot points while retaining the loops on the intermediate needles and welt hooks, forming a second course of loops on all needles, engaging the welt hooks with the loops of the second course while retaining the loops of the first course engaged thereby and knitting succeeding courses in the usual manner.

5. Steps in the method of knitting a selvedge 1 on afull fashioned knitting machine comprising forming a first course of loops of a thread held by all the hooks of the usual welt hook bar against the needle stems,- transferring the loops from alternate needles to picot points while retaining the loops on the intermediate needles and the welt hooks, releasing the loops from the picot points to the welt hooks and forming successive courses of loops on all needles in the usual manner.

ERVIN S. SACHSENMAIER. 

